PUBLIC ORDER
254
Traffic
The year recorded a rise in vehicle registration, resulting in an increase in traffic density, hence additional pressure on the limited road space. This increase in density translated into a figure of 270.5 vehicles per kilometre.
Traffic congestion at peak periods continued to increase and the rush hours were extended. This resulted in traffic police becoming more heavily committed to traffic control
matters.
The accident rate remained stable, with a marginal decrease of 0.1 per cent. The number of serious traffic accidents, however, decreased by 3.5 per cent.
The most common causes for accidents continued to be speed related. Vigorous enforcement action was taken, resulting in more than 160 000 speeding offences being detected and processed during the year. Technological advances in speed detection systems permitted the deployment of vehicle-borne computerised systems, such as VASCAR, and helped reduce speed-related offences and accidents.
Efforts to improve road safety through education continued, with a resultant downward trend in accident involvement among children and the elderly, despite an increase in these age brackets in the population.
Marine Region
The year 1992 saw a marked increase in the number of arrests of illegal immigrants en route to Hong Kong from China by negotiating the sea boundaries. On average, 97 illegal immigrants were caught each day compared with 70 in 1991. Throughout the year the use of vessels to smuggle illegal immigrants into Hong Kong continued to rise and accounted for almost half of the illegal immigrants intercepted.
Marine Region also played a major role in search and rescue operations within the very busy territorial waters of Hong Kong. As at December 31, the region had responded to 183 incidents as compared to 181 in 1991. These ranged from searching for missing sailboarders to dealing with sinking large ocean-going vessels, both in inshore waters and in and around the international boundary.
Two officers received the Queen's Gallantry Medal from Her Majesty the Queen at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace for their outstanding bravery displayed in the course of rescuing crew members from a sinking ship during the passage of a typhoon. Another two officers received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct for their part in the rescue of a group of fisherfolk from rocks off Lantau Island in adverse weather conditions.
The new base for Marine East Division at Tui Min Hoi, Sai Kung, was opened, as was a police post at Sok Kwu Wan on Lamma Island.
Of the 21 new launches ordered in the latest phase of the launch expansion programme, one command/patrol, six inshore patrol and two logistics vessels were taken into service.
Bomb Disposal
During 1992, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit dealt with a total of 5 745 explosive devices, ranging from improvised bombs made by criminals to unexploded shells, vintage aircraft bombs and pyrotechnics. The year 1992 saw an increase in the use of grenades by criminals, with a resultant seizure and disposal of 50 bombs, a 556 per cent increase over 1991.